


Wake Up Call

by lostscaredandalone



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alive Carla Yeager, Alternate Universe, Badass Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Character's Name Spelled as Hanji, Eren Is a Little Shit, Eren and Jean Get Along, Eren and Levi Are Partners In Crime, For the most part, Good Parent Grisha, High School Student Eren Yeager, Human Experimentation, Levi is adorable, M/M, Mild Gore, No Smut, Non-Human Abilities, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Older Eren Yeager, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Scientist Hange Zoë, Telekinesis, Younger Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), but it gets better, ereri, not by much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2018-08-07 20:04:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7728034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostscaredandalone/pseuds/lostscaredandalone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stranger Things AU <br/>Eren Yeager is a high school student that lives in a small town called Sina. When chaos breaks loose from a local government facility, the whole town was quick to find out. The last thing Eren expected was to meet the raven haired man behind the sudden chaos. Any normal person wouldn't want anything to do with the man, but why the hell does Eren feel the need to offer him a place to stay?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a Stranger Things AU but with a different twist to it. I only plan on using the show's setting and a few of the plot ideas. As for Attack on Titan, I'm using the characters and their personalities (for the most part). That being said; I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN OR STRANGER THINGS.  
> With that out of the way, I hope you like the story! Feedback is greatly appreciated! <3

Police sirens can be heard blaring all the way throughout the small, cozy town of Sina. Mind you, this town was not accustomed to hearing police sirens much at all. In this town, everyone knew everyone and the most severe crimes were committed by local teenagers vandalizing the school with a bit of spray paint and the occasional drunken fight between the old, drunken geezers that hang around at the local bar.

Although this small town seemed relatively harmless, there was a restricted government facility that not too many people knew too much about. 

The towns folk learned quickly that it was easier not to question the sketchy government business lurking around the outskirts, deep in the forests. It was bound to happen anyway, seeing as the area was relatively remote and not too many people inhabited the area for miles.

The people had spreading many rumors claiming that the main building, fenced off to keep out any trespassers, held some crazy people that were constantly kept locked up. The rumors claimed that apparently it was a loony bin, of sorts, and the crazies were locked up under high security. Of course, many stories were made up about this facility, saying that "People who sneak in will catch the crazy and be locked up for eternity, just like the rest of em' already there." 

Some people believed it to be true, and others believed it was just a way to keep the kids from sneaking into the restricted area out of pure curiosity. 

Usually the facility is quiet and little to no commotion arises from the fenced in area. On this humid, cloudy night, however, government officials littered Sina. The heavily armored officers looked suited up to prepare for war compared to the local sheriffs that ran the town. The soldiers were scattered about, searching every public building and even stopping some of the occasional rare townsfolk that lurked around the streets to question them.

The men carried around reference pictures of a man with inky black hair, pale skin, short stature, striking silver eyes, and sour expression permanently set on his face. The officers would ask if this man was seen anywhere by anyone in the past couple of hours, and when asked why they were tracking the man down, they would give a simple deadpanned, "Classified information."

By morning the raven was featured all over the news and the small town was littered with posters of the mans face and basic description. The people were told to "Use severe caution when approaching this man" and "Report his location immediately."

Of course, this was the perfect opportunity for rumors to spread like wildfire. Not much happens in Sina and when the government suddenly goes batshit and goes as far as directly questioning the towns folk, the people were bound whisper in hushed tones about the mysterious man with a high bounty on the top of his head.

Sina High School, the only one in Sina (as you may have already guessed) was no exception to these rumors. 

Eren Yeager is a Senior at Sina High who gets by with slightly below average grades due to the fact that he cannot listen to teachers drone on and on about boring required subjects without zoning out. Though he may not make the best grades, he makes up for it with his extroverted personality and general enthusiasm to pretty much everything he does.

He, like many others who occupy Sina, has lived there his whole life. His father is a doctor at the local clinic and his mother a teacher at the nearby Elementary school. He grew up with his adopted sister, Mikasa, and his best friend, Armin. The three have been inseparable since they've all first met. The three attended most of the same classes. They got along with most of the people at Sina High, except for the occasional few dick heads that would pick on the younger students. So, overall, Sina High was just an ordinary school with ordinary students. Meaning, of course, the rumors were everywhere.

Eren walks into his class and takes a seat next Jean, a horse-faced Senior that took great joy into starting fights with his aggressive green eyed classmate. Just as Eren expected, the moment he sat down he was bombarded with hushed whispers from Jean and a couple of his other friends from that class. 

"Dude, the police is literally fucking everywhere looking for that guy. What the hell'd you think he did?" Jean's eyes were wide, smirk plastered on his face.

"Like hell if I care, as long as I don't get mysteriously murdered by a possible psychopath lurking around here." The green eyed brunet leaned back into his seat, using his legs on the table to repetitively lean on and off the back legs of his chair.

"What if he's a runaway from that asylum not too far from here? I mean, the government's making a huge deal about getting him back." Connie, another senior, piped in from behind Jean.

"Your really think it's an asylum? I think it's all just rumors. I mean the guy's probably just broke a law, got caught, and ran. That's usually how this works." Eren never thought too much about the fenced off facility, only hearing ridiculous rumors about it.

"If that was the case-" Connie was interrupted by the teacher getting everyone's attention in order to start class. Eren knew that these rumors was all he was going to hear all day. Hell, people probably wont shut up about it for the rest of the week. He sighs through his nose and starts to doodle on his paper as the teacher talks about boring math equations and formulas, zoning out and counting the minutes till class ends.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, this is a really short chapter. I'm sorry ;-;  
> ~I DON'T OWN ATTACK ON TITAN OR STRANGER THINGS~

After school, Eren begins walking his way back home, thankful for living so close to the school. Dark, gloomy clouds towered overhead, the smell of rain prominent in the air. After living in the area for so long, he knows that rain clouds were nothing new and it rarely ever ended up actually raining. The clouds would almost always roll by, not spilling a single drop of rain. Hee also knew that should the rain actually start, hell would break loose and Sina would drown in the downpour that seemed to last forever.

As Eren approached his house, he noticed his mother had beat him home. However, Mikasa's car was not in sight. He automatically assumed she was just caught up at work. Mikasa was a waitress at a popular local cafe and was often caught up at work either with an extended shift, or cleaning duty. 

Mikasa was only a few years older than Eren, yet she gave up college in order to stay by Eren and Armin. Her parent's were a bit disappointed at first, but they knew that she had made up her mind and she was old enough to make her own decisions without her parents breathing down her neck.

Eren's father was rarely home, spending days at a time at the clinic. He was one of the only doctors in town, meaning he was constantly busy at work. On the occasional days he would come home, Eren's mother would cook a big meal and the family of four would eat at the dinner table, laughing and telling stories till long after the sun sets.

Although it didn't happen very often, everyone in the family would look forward to those nights.

Eren walked into the cozy house that always smelt of baked goods and spices. His mother loved baking and spent a lot of her spare time in the kitchen making sweet foods that would surely fatten up the family for weeks.

Eren dropped his school stuff in his room, grabbing a jacket with a hood in the process. He made a beeline to the back door as he called out to his mother, telling her he'd be back by dinner. 

As long as Mikasa and Eren have lived in this house, they had a special spot hidden deep within the woods. This was a place Eren's friends liked to call "The Dome." It was basically a tree that had fallen onto another tree, underbrush eventually growing out long enough to cover the outsides, creating a dome with a clear spot right in the middle.

Eren, Jean, and Armin would often visit this spot after school either with each other or just alone, hoping for a minute to simply lay back and relax for a while. They set out an old, plaid blanket of Jean's way back when they first started frequently visiting the dome, knowing it would be so much easier not having to sit on dirt. Over the years, the material has been weathered and torn in some places, the edges frayed and uneven. No matter how much it needed to be replaced, they didn't have the heart to throw it out. After all, it held many memories.

The brunet approached the familiar fallen tree, moving aside some shrubs to enter the dome of leaves only to see a very familiar face staring back at him with wide, alert, and almost frightened silver eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh jeez, this is a really short chapter. I promise the next one will be longer, after all, the boys have finally met! As always, feedback is appreciated <3


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! This chapter is longer than the other ones, just as promised. Time for the boys to finally have some interaction time <3  
> ~I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN OR STRANGER THINGS~

The man slightly backed away, slowly. The two stood there, frozen, not breaking eye contact. It was almost as if they were sizing each other up, analyzing if the other was a threat.

Finally, Eren spoke. "Who the hell are you? No, wait, I sure as hell know your face. It's all over the fucking place, how could I not know you? Why the hell are you here? You've got an entire army out after your ass, no doubt they'll find you here."

The raven only stared up at Eren as he once again started slowly backing away, looking ready to run at any given moment.

"No, not even a 'how do you do'?" Eren realized that the man was unarmed and wearing what looked to be a hospital gown. "At least give me a name. I'm Eren."

After a few more seconds of the stranger glaring over at the brunet, a muttered "Levi" was all that was said. His voice was deep, quiet, and scratchy; probably from underuse. He looked less afraid of the teenager before him, his fear replaced by caution.

"Levi, huh?" Eren realized that the warning all over the news warned people to be extremely careful when approaching this man and in a brief moment of panic, stuttered out a, "You're not gonna kill me, are you?"

A thin black eyebrow twitched as Levi continued staring up at him. The two were both tense and untrusting, ready to bolt should the other seem like a threat. A loud thunderclap was heard over head. It began raining lightly, providing the area with the relaxing sound of raindrops hitting the leaves.

Eren significantly relaxed as he looked up to the sky through the trees, realization spreading across his face. "Damn, its gonna start pouring." He looked over to Levi's confused face and sucked in a deep breath, letting it out through his nose in a sigh. "You've got no where to go, do you?"

Levi shook his head, slightly relaxing his tense form.

"Okay, I guess there's no helping it, come with me." Eren turned around and began to leave the dome when he realized Levi was not following him. He turned back, calling out, "Are you coming, or not? It's going to start raining. Hard."

Levi only stood there staring at the brunet, unmoving. He looked like he still didn't fully trust Eren enough to go with him.

Sighing, Eren shook his head lightly. "I'm not going to report you or anything. I don't even see why they've got all these officers after a scrawny guy with no weapons."

With no answer from the shorter man, Eren let out a frustrated groan.

The rain quickly began picking up significantly and Eren looked to the raven, running his eyes over his outfit. He handed him the jacket and when Levi only looked at it with no idea what to do, Eren quickly directed his arms through the sleeves, taking note of the way his hands were completely covered, and put the hood over his dirt covered hair. "There, now you wont get soaked."

Silver eyes were wide, surprised at the sudden lack of space between the two. Eren only zipped up the jacket and looked down to meet his shocked gaze. "See? I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want you to come with me to my house so you're not caught in the storm. You'll freeze out here."

Levi's eyes narrowed as he looked down to his hands that were covered by the fabric of Eren's jacket that was too big on him. When he looked back up to meet green eyes, he nodded, showing he would follow behind Eren this time.

Half way through the walk to Eren's house, it began pouring and the two broke into a sprint to avoid staying in the rain longer than they needed to. By the time they made it to Eren's back door, the two were soaked and shivering.

As Eren reached for the door nob, he froze, remembering the raven behind him. "Damn, I can't let my mom see you with me. I can't act like you're just a friend of mine either, you're all over the news." Deciding to take the risk he cracked the door and called out to his mom, asking her to go get him a towel to dry off. As she walked out of the kitchen to go grab some towels from the bathroom, Eren bolted to the basement, dragging Levi along with him by the sleeves of the jacket.

The basement was a small area that Eren used as a hang out spot for him and his friends when they'd come over. It was decorated with a large rug placed under a large couch and a coffee table that was littered with some small wrappers and a deck of cards. There was also a small desk that Eren would use for doing his homework or drawing. His parents didn't ever use the basement for anything, knowing that Eren, and occasionally Mikasa, were the only ones ever down there. Eren used this to his advantage, of course, and sat Levi down in the corner where he wouldn't possibly be seen by anyone on the stairs.

His mother called out from the top of the stairs, announcing that she brought him towels and he met her halfway up the stairs, careful to keep Levi out of sight.

"Eren, honey, you should have waited for me by the door, the carpet is soaking wet." Eren sheepishly took the towels offered by his mother and nodded. "Sorry, I didn't think about it. I'll be more careful next time."

She laughed, affectionately pushing his wet hair out of his face and walking back up the stairs to finish cooking dinner, leaving Eren to stand on the stairs, willing his frantic heart beat to slow down to a somewhat normal pace.

Not even five minutes of Levi being in the house and they've already had a close call. Eren knew that having the strange man at his house would cause problems, but he impulsively offered a place for Levi to stay. Cursing his own kindness, Eren thought about how he was going to pull off having an outlaw staying with him. An outlaw who not only probably isn't even 5'5 but also has no weapons or normal clothes on him.

The man didn't look to be any harm at all. He had soft features and looked to have groomed hair, styled into an undercut with long strands falling into a middle part. He looked skinny, but not underfed. His grey, almost silver eyes narrow and curious. Nothing about him screamed 'I have the government busting their ass looking for me.'

"Eren?" Eren snapped back into reality at the quiet voice, looking over to Levi. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

There were many pillows and small blankets on the couch so Eren walked over to the desk and began clearing it off. Under Levi's watchful stare, he began using the largest blanket to drape over the wooden desk and small chair that he situated, leaving enough room for Levi to be able to crawl into the space between the chair and desk while also having a makeshift bed of pillows and bunched up blankets in the space under the wooden surface. He used a bunch of Armin's giant nerd books to place on the desk over the blanket to keep it situated.

"There. Now you have a place to sleep where no one will see you." Eren waved his arm to the makeshift fort, proud of his innovative thinking.

Levi nodded and clutched the jacket closer to his body, shivering lightly. Cursing his own stupidity, Eren ran up to his room, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, making sure they were smaller than most of his other clothes. He ran back upstairs to see Levi sitting in the same place he left him, thankful he didn't wander off. The jacket was placed beside him and Levi looked so much smaller without the bulky fabric cocooning him.

"Here, take these, they're the smallest clothes I own, so hopefully they'll fit." Levi stood up, hands moving down to grab at the bottom of the gown he was wearing, preparing to take it off.

"NO, wait!" Levi snapped his head up to look at Eren, eyes wide. "Not here, there's a bathroom under the stairs. You can get dressed in there." Levi looked up to Eren's red face, taking the clothes and moving to the small bathroom under the stairs.

When the door closed, Eren breathed out heavily, red faced and embarrassed as can be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will start slowing down due to school starting up very, very soon. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feedback is always appreciated!


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another short chapter. I'm really sorry, I've got really bad writers block lately and since school has started, I'm emotionally exhausted. I just moved really far away from home and I'm still trying to get used to all these changes ;~;  
> Either way, sorry for my rambling, enjoy this next chapter!  
> ~ I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN OR STRANGER THINGS ~

After a while of contemplating how he was going to manage having Levi in the house while he would be gone, Eren decided to stay in the basement with Levi for the night to go ahead and set some ground rules in order to reduce the risk of being caught by anyone in the house.

After a quick run up to his room to grab a pair of clothes and some extra pillows and blankets, Eren sat down next to Levi. The raven was now comfortably dressed in Eren's too-long shirt and sweatpants. He looked more at ease now that he knew that Eren was not going to tell anyone he was here. 

They both sat side by side, wrapped up in blankets to warm up after being exposed to the ice cold rain. The two sat in silence for a long while, soaking in the rather abrupt recent events. After a while of silence, Eren began to get fidgety.

"So... If you don't mind me asking; why do you have so many people after you?" Eren knew there was little to no chance he would get an answer and he was proven correct when Levi's eyes only narrowed more, no answer coming from his lips. To be honest, Eren wasn't too sure why he even bothered asking in the first place.

After some more silence and contemplation, Eren realized that he would have to go to school when Monday came along, meaning Levi would have to be left alone in the basement. Eren's mother usually got home before him and he had no idea when Mikasa would be home, seeing that her work schedule was often frantic and unpredictable, leaving a slight chance that Levi would be discovered if they were not careful enough. 

"Look, I have to go to school in two days, meaning you'll be staying here alone for a while. Let's go ahead and set up some rules." Shifting to look over at Levi, Eren continued. "While I'm gone, don't leave this room. There's a chance someone will be upstairs and see you if you try to go out. You'll also have to hide if anyone tries to come down here. If that happens, stay in the bathroom with the door closed. There's no way anyone would need to use the one down here, since there's one upstairs. I'll give you a watch and when it gets to be 2:30, I want you to meet me at the place I found you at. I get off of school at 2:50, and my mom usually gets home a little bit sooner than I do, so that gives you some time to leave the house before she gets here."

Levi stared up at Eren, not understanding half of the things the rambling boy was saying. Eren noticed the confusion in Levi's blue eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. "You do know how to tell time, right?"

At Levi's prolonged silence, he pulled the watch off his wrist and leaned closer to the shorter boy. "When the short bar is a little bit passed the two and the long bar is on the six, I need you to sneak back through the back door and take the path we took to the place we met earlier." Eren explained, using his fingers to show what time Levi would have to leave. "I'll explain it again before I leave on Monday, just in case you forget. But for tonight and tomorrow, I'll be staying down here with you."

Nodding in understanding, Levi traced the watch face with a child-like curiosity. Eren watched as his eyebrows furrow, eyes narrowing in wonder as he watched the ticking of the seconds passing by. Eren could only wonder why the boy doesn't know how to tell time. In fact, the grey eyed boy seemed to not know anything about the world around him, as if he had been sheltered all his life. He felt the need to ask Levi where he came from, but refrained in fear of scaring the timid raven off or fueling the distrust that lurked in his blue orbs.

Levi looked up from the watch, meeting vivid green eyes. Eren realized how close the two have gotten, eyes only inches away from each other. He could see the blue and grey mixture of Levi's eyes clearly from this close, the unique color making him not want to look away. Neither of the two moved, only continuing eye contact as the air around them got thicker. Awkwardly clearing his throat, Eren broke the silence, cursing himself as his voice awkwardly cracked.

"I need you to stay here during the day. We can't have you seen by anyone no matter what. Problem is, I'm not too sure if I'll be able to keep this from my two friends."

Panic emerged from Levi's features as he jerks away from Eren, glaring harshly at the new threat of being turned in. 

"No." His steel voice was hostile and unwavering, taking Eren by surprise.

"No?"

"You said you wouldn't tell." Eren stared into grey eyes, shocked.

"They're the people I trust most. They wouldn't tell anyone, I promise."

"Promise?" Levi's eyes softened a little as he looked up at Eren in confusion. He caught on to the silent question almost instantly.

"A promise is something that you can't break. Ever. That being said, I won't let anyone find you. I promise." Levi deflated, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out as if to calm himself down. 

"Look, I'm sorry I have to add to the risk and all, but I can't keep things like this from my friends. Iv'e made a promise that I wont hide things from them. Iv'e known them for so long, and yet, neither of us have broken that promise. You understand, don't you?" After a moment of heavy silence, Levi nodded slowly.

"Thank you. Like I said, I won't let them find you. But I need you to trust me. Can you do that?" Glaring up at green eyes, Levi curls into himself, tugging the blanket closer to his body. 

"Promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've noticed a weird thing happening with the end note on the previous chapter and I'm not too sure what to do about it... Oh well, I hope you enjoyed the beginnings of sexual tension between the boys. It was bound to happen sooner or later tbh.  
> As always, my lovelies, feedback is greatly appreciated <3


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back ;o;  
> ~ I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN OR STRANGER THINGS ~

The morning bell rings, signalling the teachers and students to begin the day. His first period class was rather boring, not having Armin to talk to or even Jean to annoy. At the thought of his two friends, his stomach twisted into an overwhelmingly tight knot. He knew he would have to tell them, but it was easier said, or in his situation, thought, than actually done.

Eren spent the rest of the morning trying to figure out how he was going to tell the two of the mysterious Levi, whom he had to offer a place to stay, immediately getting himself in a confusing and dangerous situation.

It's not like he could just walk up to them and say, "Hey, guys, I've met the extremely wanted criminal and he's now living in my basement. Wanna help me figure out what to do now?"

Eren let out an angry sigh and continued staring at the clock, counting down the seconds until the lunch bell would ring and would have to confront the two of the most important people in his life. He hadn't felt this nervous in years.

When the bell rung, he slowly made his way out of class and to the place where the three would usually eat, making sure to drag his feet as much as possible to avoid the talk as much as he could. 

He knew he was just being a coward and hated himself for being so childish as to think that he could avoid the inevitable. Yet, as he approached the two figures slumped against the other, laughing at god-knows-what, his heart started pounding faster than normal. Trying to ignore the way his body temperature rose and the lump in his throat made it hard to swallow his own spit, he sat next to the small blond haired boy.

"Hey, Eren? Are you feeling ok?" Armin's blue eyes observed his own in concern.

"Yea dude, you look like your gonna' throw up." Jean tried to hide his own concern, but after years of knowing him, Eren was able to look right through Jean's façade.

"Yes, wait no. I mean... I'm not gonna' throw up. I'm fi-"

"Eren, whats wrong?" Armin reached up and placed his hand on Eren's forehead as if to chech his temperature, only to have it gently slapped away by the stuttering brunet.

The lump in his throat refused to go away as Eren had a rushed debate in his head as to what he was going to say to not sound absolutely crazy. He knew the two wouldn't hate him no matter what he would do, but the two happened to be very overprotective of Eren and he wasn't sure if they would be as willing to keep Levi a secret. 

Eren wasn't sure as to why he wanted to keep Levi's promise so badly; after all, they had only just met and he hasn't gotten any answers whats so ever from the raven. However, the look that came over the boy's face when Eren had said that he had to tell his friends made Eren reluctant to let anyone find out. 

The only thing Eren had been able to think of was that Levi had run away from the government and they wanted him back as soon as possible. The reason he would have ran is still a mystery to Eren, but the fear and anger on the raven's face when he suspected he would be found made Eren think that the situation was extremely complicated and ran much deeper than the brunet could even hope to comprehend.

After a few deep breaths and some reassuring words from Armin, he began to speak. 

"Ok so this is going to sound crazy, but I need you to let me get through the story. Please." Eren gave a pointed look to Jean, who put his hands up in surrender.

"Yea, yea, Eren, just get it out already, you look constipated." Jean smirked at Eren's glare. 

"I may have met the guy all over the news. You know, the one that the officers are looking for? It was an accident and I didn't mean to approach him but he was at the dome, hiding from the police, I guess."

"Wait a minute Eren, there's no way-"

"I thought you said you two wouldn't interrupt."

Armin looked to his feet and let out a sigh, signaling Eren to continue.

"Ok, well I was talking to him. Emphasis on the I was talking, because he doesn't say much. Either way, it's not important. I was talking to him and it started drizzling. He was in a weird hospital gown thing and I knew he would be cold so I offered to lead him to my house."

Eren knew the two wanted to interrupt him to say something along the lines of how stupid he was to offer a place to stay to a criminal, but they stayed silent, knowing they would only make the situation worse to interrupt the temperamental brunet.

"So we got to my house and made it to the basement without mom noticing. I offered him some of my clothes because we were soaked. He's really weird and he while he doesn't say much, he also doesn't know too much either. I had to teach him how to read the clock before I left for school. He hasn't told me why he's wanted but when I mentioned the fact that I would tell you guys about him staying with me, he freaked out. He got really angry all of the sudden and he looked oddly terrified. I already promised him that I wouldn't let anyone tell the authorities about him and he seemed more at ease since then. I just need you guys to not tell anyone. There's a reason he ran and I'm not too sure why yet, but you can see it in his eyes. Please, guys, trust me."

As soon as he ended his story, Jean and Armin were quick to launch their opinions onto him, no longer under the promise to keep quiet.

"Eren, look at this logically from our point of view for a second. Do you not see how dangerous this is for you? For us? For your family? Damn, Eren, it sounds like you're sympathizing with him but you don't actually know anything about him or even have any evidence that he's not a cold-blooded killer."

"But Armin-"

"No. I didn't interrupt you, so don't interrupt me. If someone finds out... If Mikasa finds out..."

"Eren, you're gonna' get yourself killed, I swear. Armin's right. We don't know that he's innocent. Get your head out of your ass and think about the damn situation you just put us all in."

"Oh come on guys, you haven't even met him yet. I'm telling you, there's something off about him. Trust me, guys. When have I ever let you guys down?"

The two were silent for many moments. Armin was the first to break the heavy silence. 

"Let me think about the situation, please. This almost doesn't feel real. It's just so much to take in at once. I mean damn, Eren, I can't believe this would happen to us of everyone in this freaking town."

Eren nodded in understanding, glad he was able to get it off his chest, but no longer knowing what to say to break the heavy atmosphere that he, himself had created between the three. After a little while of more silence, the bell rung, signalling the transition to the second to last class of the day. He decided that he would just let the situation play out and see how the two felt by the end of the day. He promised himself that he would listen to Armin and Jean, knowing that he wouldn't let anyone get between the three of them. If the two thought that turning Levi over to the police was the best idea, that's what he would do. 

He ignored the knot forming in his gut as he walked away from the two, leaving him to his dark thoughts of silver eyes blurred over in anger of betrayal and blood chilling fear as he's dragged back into the hands of the government officials he had worked so hard to get away from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my absence, but I hope you liked the chapter. I'm not way too happy with how it turned out, but I had a flash of inspiration and I figured I'd get to it before I lose my motivation again. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated <3


	6. Chapter Six

Eren's heart was pounding hard in his chest as the final bell rang. He made his way to meet up with Jean and Armin, anticipation weighing down on his nerves. He honestly didn't know what they would say. He couldn't possibly guess what was going on through their minds after he broke the news during lunch. The three didn't talk to each other much throughout the day and it made the brunet rather uncomfortable. He couldn't help but feel as if he had created a barrier between the three somehow.

As he approached their meeting place to start heading home, he saw the two leaning against an old brick wall, conversing with unreadable expressions. Seeing the two not laughing and arguing with each other only made Eren more and more light headed.

Eren took a deep, calming breath and forced his feet to walk up two his two best friends. Upon hearing the brunet approach, the two looked over to Eren with small smiles on their faces. His shoulders relaxed significantly seeing that the two weren't yelling at him or telling him that they wouldn't go with his plans.

"Hey Yeager, you gonna' introduce us go your new friend, or what?" Even the aggravating smirk on Jean's face made Eren smile broadly, punching the taller male in shoulder not-so-lightly.

The walk to Eren's house was filled with conversation revolving around Levi. Eren told the two more about the raven's strange mannerisms and odd behavior. He told them how he and Levi met, making sure to include as many details as possible, although the memory was slightly fogged due to the overall shock he was in at the time.

Eren could tell that Armin was processing and analyzing every word he said due to the way his bright blue eyes narrowed. He could basically see the cogs turning in his head as he listened to the story. Jean, surprisingly enough, was also paying close attention to the information being given by the brunet. Eren was shocked that he didn't try to interrupt him in favor of making snide remarks and pointless jokes about the strange situation.

"So he didn't have any weapons or regular clothes?" Armin's analytical eyes shifted over to make contact with Eren's.

"Nope, he was in a weird hospital gown thingy..."

"So the police must be after him because he broke out of a hospital?" Jean scratched the back of his head as he attempted to put the pieces together.

"I don't know, the government is after him. A lot of them, too. There has to be another reason for everyone to be after him; breaking out a hospital doesn't seem to be enough to go after him like they are."

The rest of the walk was spent in comfortable silence as the three of them were left to their scattered thoughts. 

"Let's drop our stuff off in the basement. I told Levi we'd meet him at the dome."

They made there way downstairs after giving a short greeting to Eren's mother. Once they dropped their stuff off, they made their way out the back door, beginning the walk to the familiar spot in the woods.

"Just remember guys, he's still paranoid and scared. Don't scare him off or anything. He'll get used to you guys if you just give him some time. He's not that bad, I promise."

The two nodded anxiously, slightly nervous to meet the steely eyed raven.

The three approached the dome, making sure not to disguise the sounds of their footsteps so that Levi wouldn't be startled. Just to make sure, Eren called out his name before they entered the cascade of leaves.

When they entered the dome, they saw the short man sitting on the blanket, tracing the numbers on the watch Eren had let him use.

"Levi, this is Armin and Jean. The two people I was talking about."

Levi looked up from the watch, glare settling on the two beside Eren, looking cautious and slightly put off by the extra company.

"They promised they would keep your secret between us, just as I said they would."

Levi's cold gaze made Armin and Jean shift uncomfortably. For a long moment, the four waited in silence for someone to say something.

"So, uh, maybe we should go to my house for a while? We can talk more freely there."

Grateful for Eren breaking the prolonged silence, they all began walking back to Eren's house. Levi couldn't seem to stop looking around every once and a while, almost as if he's expecting authorities to jump out at any minute.

The walk back was less tense now that Levi wasn't burning holes through Armin and Jean's skulls with his cold glare.

Once the four got to Eren's house, they made it into the basement fairly easily, seeing that Eren's mother was too busy cooking dinner to notice the extra person walking through the door with Eren, Armin, and Jean.

Once the they all got to the basement, Jean wasted no time to demand answers from Levi, unaware of how bad of an idea it was in the first place. 

"So are you ever gonna' tell us why you have the police after you?" 

"Jean!" Eren and Armin both looked over to Jean in disbelief.

"What? We promised that we wouldn't tell anyone that he's here, but what did he do in return. It's called paying up for a favor."

Armin shook his head while Eren let out an angry huff. Levi glared up at Jean, not showing any signs of giving him an answer. Jean, not knowing when to shut up, only continued on.

"For all we know, we have no reason to trust you. Keep in mind that we could be killed just because you decided to take advantage of this suicidal bastard's stupidity." He waved his hand in Eren's general direction. "We have put so much on the line so the least you could do is tell us why you're on the run."

More silence from Levi. The blond and brunet stayed in the back, gawking at Jean's outburst.

"No answer then? Come on, why the hell should we trust you if you are hiding things from us?" Jean began moving to the staircase, causing Levi to look up sharply, not missing a beat. "Who's to say you're not gonna' kill one of us when we're not looking? You think I'm gonna' let you stay with my best friend if I can't trust that you wont hurt him in his sleep?"

"Jean..." Eren warned from a distance.

Before anyone could even blink, the coffee table was miraculously shoved in front of the staircase, effectively blocking Jean's way out. The three high schoolers stared wide-eyed at the table, wondering how the hell it moved on its own. Their shocked gazes instantly went to Levi, who was glaring up at Jean with a deadly look in his eyes. He had blood slowly running from his nose, but looked unaffected and unbothered by the sudden bleeding. 

The only thing he said was a rough, demanding, "No."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyy, I'm bad at updating...  
> Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter. I plan on having another shorter chapter on Levi's adventuring through Eren's house while he's gone either today or tomorrow, so yea. <3


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little side chapter, just as promised!  
> To clear things up, this is what Levi was doing while Eren was gone. Most of this chapter is a flashback segment so I hope its not too confusing or anything. Just let me know if I need to space things out better or something. Anyways, enjoy~

After a while of Eren being gone, Levi sat against the couch, bored out of his mind. Eren's words still rang in his ears, "While I'm gone, don't leave this room..."

Levi let out a sigh looking to the stairs once more. "While I'm gone, don't leave this room..."

He stood up and walked over to the stairs, deciding he would take a look around while he has some time to himself. He slowly made his way up the staircase and to the door at the very top, placing his ear against the door and concentrating in hopes of hearing if anyone was in the house. When he decided the coast was clear, he opened the creaky door. He had seen very little of the house, only being able to look around when Eren had rushed him to the basement. 

He began by walking on the soft carpet to a cushioned chair in the middle of a large room. To the left of it was a long cushioned chair that looked like it could fit many people. In front of both of the pieces of furniture was a large box with an antenna sticking out of the top. There were many buttons on the front of the box and Levi was moving closer to it without even realizing.

He crouched down in front of the foreign box, running his fingers along the buttons. He pushed one and jumped when the box lit up, showing small people arguing with each other. He clicked another button, changing the channel to a different display. He repetitively did this until he came across a very familiar looking red soda can. His ears began to ring and his head began pulsing as the memories fought to the surface of his brain.

Levi sat in an all-white room. There was a red soda can sitting on the table in front of him. There was a contraption made of many wires that they had strapped to his head. Grey eyes look up to see a man with brown hair and a pristine white lab coat. Behind him was his assistant. They, too, had long brown hair. It was usually tied up in a messy ponytail. Their glasses resembled goggles and took up half their face. Levi knew them the best of all the people in the lab. Hanji was their name. Hanji was not only in charge of making sure he was unharmed during and after the experiments, but also in charge of collecting and organizing all of the data collected through the facilities research. After each experiment, they would always let the boy lean into their side while they would stroke his hair and tell him how well he did and how proud they were. Sometimes, Hanji was the only thing keeping Levi sane in the facility. 

Levi looked at the can and back to the man running the experiments. Levi had always known him as 'Papa.' The man more commonly went be 'Kenny' around the lab. He was in charge of all the experiments conducted in the facility.

Kenny gave the boy a reassuring look as he nodded his head to the can. Levi broke eye contact, knowing what he had to do. 

Levi looked down at the can in concentration. He almost immediately began feeling the surge of power through his head and behind his eyes. He began to focus the power on the objective; crushing the can. The pounding in his head became more and more frantic as he attempted to transfer the power over to the aluminum can.

After a few seconds of agonizing pain throughout his brain, the can violently crushed and toppled to it's side. Levi slouched back into the uncomfortable chair as the pressure was released from his brain. He began to feel the telltale signs of a nosebleed that always happened after putting his brain through so much stress in such a small amount of time.

On the other side of the room, the scientists were monitoring the brain waves transmitted though the device on the young boy's head. Kenny only watched as the boy panted with exertion, looking completely exhausted. A small smirk overcame his tired face as he looked over to the destroyed Coke can. As Levi looked up to him, he saw the small stream of blood from his nose and his tired grey eyes looked to him for approval.

Kenny sent Hanji into the room to clean him up and take him back to the holding cell, where he was kept for safety precautions. He knew that if that boy ever were to break free, the government would loose one of their most effective, dangerous weapons.

Gasping as he came back to reality, Levi quickly shut off the foreign contraption. He clutched his head as he tried to cease his shaking. The memories were always so vivid, even though he was much younger at the time. He hated the flashbacks he would get from the times he was in the lab. The bad people would do unspeakable things to test the extent of his abilities. After the cruel experiments, they would lock him in a room and not let him out until his throat was raw from screaming and his brain would feel like it would explode due to all of his attempts to use his telepathy to escape. 

Of course, the facility was built to cage abnormals like him, so all his attempts to escape were futile and only seemed to make him feel worse.

Levi stood up and silently paced back to the basement, suddenly less interested in exploring the house in favor of curling up into himself and fumbling around with objects in the room in hopes of distracting his overactive mind.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward dinner time along with some awkward conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it doesn't make it any better, but I'm so, so sorry. It's been so long! To be completely honest, I had no idea where I wanted to take this story. But, I sat down, re-watched season one of Stranger Things and found where I'm diverting from the show's plot line. I made a (quite detailed) set of notes for the progression of WUC and I'm back with some fresh (overdue) motivation. 
> 
> So without further ado, I give you one of my favorite scenes I've ever written.

The small family, along with Eren’s two friends, sat around the dinner table. Having Armin and Jean over for dinner was nothing new to Eren’s mom and sister, and they usually got along like extended family. However, tonight was different; much more uncomfortable. 

 

Carla skimmed over the boys, concerned to see them picking at their food rather than eating it. She looked over to Mikasa, who was eating her food with a bored look to her tense brother.

 

“Something wrong with the meatloaf?”

 

All eyes snapped up to her, wide and guilty.

 

Armin spoke up quietly as Jean took a too-large bite, trying to play it off. “No, ma'am, it’s delicious. See, Jean loves it!” 

 

Eren tried to hide a snicker at Jean’s reddening cheeks when he saw a familiar silhouette coming through the stairway to the basement and into the living room. In pure panic, he accidentally inhaled the meatloaf and began coughing violently.

 

As Carla curiously went to look over he shoulder at the source of surprise, Eren kicked Jean’s foot with a satisfying  _ thud,  _ causing a domino effect of Jean choking on the surplus amount of meatloaf in his mouth. 

 

Carla quickly turned her attention back to the half-blond in concern, scolding Eren angrily as she tried to mend the sudden chaos. Armin almost let out a sigh of relief as he saw Levi disappear from sight, letting his tense shoulders fall as he allowed himself to quietly chuckle at the mayhem of the current situation. 

 

Mikasa’s eyes flickered over the three boys and into the living room behind her, only to reluctantly pass off the situation as her brother and his friends being idiots.

 

Once Eren and Jean calmed down from their coughing fits, the dinner settled down a notch. Now, instead of picking at the food, Carla watched as the boys shoveled their dinner down like starving animals.    
  
“Slow down, boys. No need to hurry, you know. You might choke.” Mikasa stifled a laugh. Eren just continued eating, eager to make sure Levi wouldn’t scare them like this again. 

 

In record time, Eren, Jean, and Armin had finished their plates and hurriedly stood up, rushing to the basement. 

 

As he turned to leave, Eren accidentally kicked the leg of the table, causing another commotion of scolding from his mother before practically sprinting to the stairs. In an abrupt moment. He stopped, turning back to the two still sitting at the table.

 

“Um, mom, I think we might get hungry later, is it alright if I take another thing of meatloaf down with us?” 

 

Carla’s eyes softened as she let out a small sigh. ”Of course, honey, but I don’t see why you can’t just come back up here when-”

 

Before she could finish her sentence, her son was hurrying to the kitchen with a shout of, “Thanks, ma! Love you!”

 

\---

 

The three simultaneously let out a sigh of relief as they saw the smaller boy curled up in a pile of blankets that Eren gathered, running his fingers over the watch in his hands. 

 

Eren spoke up as Levi’s sharp, suspicious gaze fell to the two behind him.

 

“Don’t worry, they promised they wouldn’t tell anyone. And look, we brought meatloaf for you. Figured you might be hungry.”

 

Sensing the awkward tension, Eren spoke up again. “Oh and please keep in mind what I said earlier about not leaving the room. You about killed me and Jean a minute ago, I feel my lungs are full of meatloaf at this point. I swear, if it weren’t for my quick thinking we would’ve-” 

 

Noticing that Levi’s eyes never diverted from the two, Eren stopped his attempt to lighten the mood and set the meatloaf down at the desk. He carefully made his way over to sit by the shorter boy.

 

“They were just scared, alright? This kind of thing doesn’t ever happen in anything besides movies.” Levi’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion but Eren continued on. “They promised they wouldn’t tell anyone. Remember what I said about promises?”

 

The raven nods slowly. Armin steps to the two on the ground and nervously eyes Levi. “Look, we won’t tell, but we’d also really like to know what’s going on. You understand, right? We can’t just trust you blindly if you don’t trust us.”

 

Silver meets blue and Armin flinches as the harsh glare. Jean cuts in, temper quickly flaring. “I know you can understand us, so cut the bullshit!”

  
“Jean!” Eren glares at him before turning back to Levi. “Sorry, L. Like I said, they’re just scared. You don’t blame them, right? I mean, wouldn’t you want to know if you were us?”

 

Jean shook his head and threw his arms out in exasperation. “Oh, so now you’re gonna go and call the fucking _ fugitive  _ by some cute little pet names? Come  _ on _ , Eren, I know you’re dense, but this is pushing it. We don’t know who this guy is. We don’t know what he’s done. He could have killed people for all we know!” 

 

The trio looked to Levi as he shook his head slowly, still glaring coolly at Jean. 

 

“Oh so now you’re gonna give us some insight?” The sarcasm was heavy and unforgiving. “Well about fucking time! Go on, tell us why we’re risking our lives for someone we don’t know. Tell us what you’re doing here!” 

 

To their surprise, the raven paused for a moment before speaking up. “Hiding.”

 

Before Jean could cut back in and ruin the rare moment of honesty, Eren softly asked, “From what?”

 

“The bad men.”

 

The trio looked to each other in the tense silence before regarding Levi once more. “Who are the bad men?” Armin’s soft inquiry was cut off by the sharp sound of the clock mounted on the wall being thrown to the other side of the room.

 

Eren, Jean, and Armin jumped at the abrupt sound of shattering glass, sitting straight up and looking back to Levi, who had his head in his hands. 

 

Eren let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Not cool, man, you broke my mom’s clock.”

 

Before Jean’s temper could flare up once more, Carla’s concerned voice called down from the living room. “Are you boys alright?”

 

Eren shouted back up to his mother, reassuring her that everything was fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, so much for the support for this story, I appreciate you guys so very much!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked the first chapter! It's really short but we're only getting started. Things will take some time to pick up, so be patient with me! I plan on having the next chapter up in a few days. Let me know what you thought, like I said, Feedback is GREATLY appreciated!


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